GRESHAM, Ore. — As outdoor enthusiasts, Quinn Richards and Theus Weiskopf were often disappointed in the lack of variety and freshness that came with backpacking food.
“It’s like space food,” Richards said. “It’s pre-packaged and people drink beer and you’re like, ‘What is this culture?’”
The absence of high-quality food and feeling a desire to “deeply root themselves to a place” led Richards and Weiskopf to stop traveling and pursue their interest in growing food.
The couple started Farm Punk Salads in 2019 on a half-acre plot at Headwaters Incubator Farm in Gresham, Ore.
The farm focuses on salad greens and culinary herbs, which they sell at farmers markets and through their weekly Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) home deliveries. They also make a dressing, which is sold at select retailers, including New Seasons Markets.
“It seems to me that agriculture and farming is where a lot of people end up when looking for different ways to connect with the land,” Weiskopf said.
Richards said she knew getting into the Portland farming scene was competitive, so they approached their business model with a niche in mind.
“We thought if we got specific and do salad, we can create a decent margin off that,” she said. “I also made my own dressing and felt disappointed with the dressings that were available, so it felt like we could make a value-added product and sell it like a kit.”
Weiskopf added that it also made it simpler for customers who either don’t have much time, don’t know what to do with a bunch of vegetables or really like salad.
Farm Punk Salads is a pesticide- and spray-free farm; they utilize integrated pest management and netting.
To avoid food waste, they donate crops to organizations such as Outgrowing Hunger and Main Spring Food Pantry, as well as personal donations to people in need.
The biggest challenge the couple faces with their farm is distributing the weight of the business. Richards explained they have to balance their personal and business relationships, as well as acknowledge that the work all falls on them.
Although Farm Punk Salad has fared well during the pandemic, Richards said last year’s growth isn’t necessarily indicative of the future.
“People have settled more into their old habits, which is fine, but it’s a recalibration,” she said, especially in determining how much labor they will need. At this point, they have one part-time employee, who is Richards’ sister.
As for the name, Richards said being a farm punk is “honoring who you are.” She said they often haven’t felt like they fit in with the traditional farming model, “even though we are initially clocked as appealing like a heteronormative white couple,” and they like the idea that anyone can be a farmer.
“It particularly too feels like the urban-rural divide is big, and a farm punk is somewhere in the ‘rurban’ space,” she said.
June 10, 2021 at 05:45AM
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